On Dec. 7, 1941, Barrett was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Barrett.

In 2015, DPAA disinterred remains from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. Navy Seaman 2nd Class Wilbur C. Barrett, killed during the attack on the USS Oklahoma in World War II, was accounted for on June 20, 2018.